diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 6b704ac..b3f4958 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -1,6 +1,18 @@
+# packaging artifacts
 *.pkg.tar.zst
 *.tar.gz
 pkg/
-src/*.o
+dist/
+build/
+*.egg-info/
+
+# python
+__pycache__/
+*.py[cod]
+.pytest_cache/
+
+# editor / agent
 .claude/
+
+# logs / local test output
 *.log
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index f0a7855..d099fb0 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -1,30 +1,36 @@
 PREFIX        ?= /usr/local
 BINDIR        := $(PREFIX)/bin
+LIBDIR        := $(PREFIX)/lib/enodia-sentinel
 SYSTEMDDIR    := /etc/systemd/system
 CONFDIR       := /etc
 LOGDIR        := /var/log/enodia-sentinel
 
-.PHONY: install uninstall enable disable status logs check baseline drill clean
+.PHONY: install uninstall enable disable status logs check baseline drill test clean
 
+# Installs the stdlib-only Python package as a plain directory + launcher
+# wrapper (no pip, no virtualenv, no site-packages). Zero runtime deps.
 install:
-	install -Dm755 src/sentinel.sh      $(DESTDIR)$(BINDIR)/sentinel.sh
+	install -d $(DESTDIR)$(LIBDIR)
+	cp -r enodia_sentinel $(DESTDIR)$(LIBDIR)/
+	install -Dm755 packaging/enodia-sentinel.wrapper $(DESTDIR)$(BINDIR)/enodia-sentinel
 	install -Dm755 src/sentinel-redteam $(DESTDIR)$(BINDIR)/sentinel-redteam
 	install -Dm644 systemd/enodia-sentinel.service $(DESTDIR)$(SYSTEMDDIR)/enodia-sentinel.service
-	@if [ ! -e "$(DESTDIR)$(CONFDIR)/enodia-sentinel.conf" ]; then \
-		install -Dm644 config/enodia-sentinel.conf $(DESTDIR)$(CONFDIR)/enodia-sentinel.conf; \
-		echo "Installed default config at $(CONFDIR)/enodia-sentinel.conf"; \
+	@if [ ! -e "$(DESTDIR)$(CONFDIR)/enodia-sentinel.toml" ]; then \
+		install -Dm644 config/enodia-sentinel.toml $(DESTDIR)$(CONFDIR)/enodia-sentinel.toml; \
+		echo "Installed default config at $(CONFDIR)/enodia-sentinel.toml"; \
 	else \
-		install -Dm644 config/enodia-sentinel.conf $(DESTDIR)$(CONFDIR)/enodia-sentinel.conf.new; \
-		echo "Existing config preserved; new template at $(CONFDIR)/enodia-sentinel.conf.new"; \
+		install -Dm644 config/enodia-sentinel.toml $(DESTDIR)$(CONFDIR)/enodia-sentinel.toml.new; \
+		echo "Existing config preserved; new template at $(CONFDIR)/enodia-sentinel.toml.new"; \
 	fi
 	install -dm750 $(DESTDIR)$(LOGDIR)
 	@echo "Installed. Run 'sudo make enable' to start the service."
 
 uninstall:
-	rm -f $(DESTDIR)$(BINDIR)/sentinel.sh
+	rm -rf $(DESTDIR)$(LIBDIR)
+	rm -f $(DESTDIR)$(BINDIR)/enodia-sentinel
 	rm -f $(DESTDIR)$(BINDIR)/sentinel-redteam
 	rm -f $(DESTDIR)$(SYSTEMDDIR)/enodia-sentinel.service
-	rm -f $(DESTDIR)$(CONFDIR)/enodia-sentinel.conf.new
+	rm -f $(DESTDIR)$(CONFDIR)/enodia-sentinel.toml.new
 	@echo "Uninstalled. Config and logs preserved."
 
 enable:
@@ -40,14 +46,18 @@ status:
 logs:
 	journalctl -u enodia-sentinel.service -f
 
+# Dev targets — run from the repo without installing.
+test:
+	python3 -m unittest discover -s tests -v
+
 check:
-	sentinel.sh --check
+	python3 -m enodia_sentinel.cli check
 
 baseline:
-	sentinel.sh --baseline
+	python3 -m enodia_sentinel.cli baseline
 
 drill:
-	sentinel-redteam
+	./src/sentinel-redteam
 
 clean:
-	@echo "Nothing to clean (no build artifacts)."
+	find . -type d -name __pycache__ -prune -exec rm -rf {} +
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 71d7b1e..9199118 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -3,62 +3,72 @@
 A host intrusion-detection daemon for Linux. It continuously runs a set of
 detectors over live system state — processes, sockets, file descriptors, the
 SUID inventory, and sensitive files — and writes a detailed forensic snapshot
-with incident-response guidance the moment a known attack signature appears.
+(text **and** JSON) with incident-response guidance the moment a known attack
+signature appears.
 
 Think of it as the security counterpart to a performance watchdog: instead of
 "I/O pressure spiked, here's the kernel state," it's *"a shell just wired itself
 to a socket — here's the process tree, the peer, and what to do about it."*
 
-> **Design lineage.** Sentinel reuses the proven control loop of a performance
-> anomaly-capture daemon (sample → threshold/trigger → rich snapshot → classify
-> → notify/retain) and swaps the inputs and signatures from *performance* to
-> *security*. The forensic-snapshot-on-trigger pattern is the same; the
-> detectors and the response guidance are new.
+> **Two implementations, on purpose.** The project began as a bash prototype
+> (`src/sentinel.sh`, kept as the regression **oracle**) and was re-architected
+> into a zero-dependency Python package with a unit-test suite, structured
+> detectors, and JSON output. The bash version and the Python version share one
+> red-team harness, so every signature is exercised against both.
 
 ## Why these detectors
 
 Every detector keys on a behavior that is **cheap to observe** and **expensive
-for an attacker to avoid** — the high-signal, low-false-positive heuristics that
-real EDRs are built on:
+for an attacker to avoid** — the high-signal, low-false-positive heuristics real
+EDRs are built on:
 
 | Signature | What it catches | Why it's hard to evade |
 |---|---|---|
-| `reverse_shell` | A shell/interpreter with a **socket on fd 0/1/2** | Interactive shells get a pty, not a socket — a socket on stdio is almost always `nc -e` / `bash -i >& /dev/tcp/...` |
-| `ld_preload_global` | A non-empty `/etc/ld.so.preload` | Injecting into *every* process is the whole point of a userland rootkit; the file has to exist |
-| `ld_preload_proc` | `LD_PRELOAD` pointing into `/tmp`, `/dev/shm`, … | Hooking libc to hide files/creds needs the library somewhere writable |
-| `deleted_exe` | A process running from a **deleted / `memfd:`** binary | Fileless malware deletes its dropper but the kernel still names the inode `(deleted)` |
-| `new_listener` | A listening port absent from the startup baseline | Bind shells and backdoors have to listen somewhere |
-| `new_suid` | A new SUID/SGID binary (critical in writable dirs) | A SUID `/tmp` binary is a textbook privesc persistence trick |
-| `persistence` | Changes to cron, systemd units, `authorized_keys`, rc files | Persistence has to write *somewhere* that survives reboot |
-| `suspicious_egress` | An interpreter holding an outbound conn to a public IP | C2 beacons and exfil need to phone home |
+| `reverse_shell` | An interpreter with a **network socket on fd 0/1/2** | Interactive shells get a pty and daemons get unix sockets — a *network* socket on stdio is `nc -e` / `bash -i >& /dev/tcp/...` |
+| `ld_preload` | Non-empty `/etc/ld.so.preload`, or `LD_PRELOAD` into a writable dir | Injecting into processes needs the library to exist somewhere |
+| `deleted_exe` | A process running from a **deleted / `memfd:`** binary | Fileless malware deletes its dropper; the kernel still names the inode `(deleted)` |
+| `new_listener` | A listening port absent from the startup baseline | Bind shells/backdoors have to listen somewhere |
+| `new_suid` | A new SUID/SGID binary (critical in a writable dir) | A SUID `/tmp` binary is a textbook privesc trick |
+| `persistence` | Changes to cron, systemd units, `authorized_keys`, rc files | Persistence has to write somewhere that survives reboot |
+| `egress` | An interpreter with an established connection to a public IP | C2 beacons and exfil have to phone home |
 
-## The control loop
+## Architecture
 
 ```
-        ┌────────────────────────────────────────────┐
-        │  every SAMPLE_INTERVAL seconds               │
-        │                                              │
-        │   run_detectors() ──► alert lines            │
-        │        │              SEV  signature  detail │
-        │        ▼                                      │
-        │   cooldown dedup (per signature+key)          │
-        │        │                                      │
-        │        ▼ (fresh alerts only)                  │
-        │   capture_snapshot()                          │
-        │     • flagged-pid deep dive (/proc)           │
-        │     • full process tree + sockets             │
-        │     • ld.so.preload, recent file mods         │
-        │     • logins, failed auth, kernel modules     │
-        │     • per-signature response guidance         │
-        │        │                                      │
-        │        ▼                                      │
-        │   events.log + alert-*.log + desktop notify   │
-        └────────────────────────────────────────────┘
+enodia_sentinel/
+├── cli.py            run / check / baseline / list-detectors
+├── daemon.py         sweep loop · cooldown dedup · backgrounded SUID scan
+├── system.py         SystemState — one cached snapshot of /proc + ss per sweep
+├── snapshot.py       forensic text+JSON capture · response guidance · retention
+├── config.py         dataclass config (TOML + env overrides)
+├── netutil.py        public-IP / CIDR logic (stdlib ipaddress)
+├── alert.py          Alert / Severity
+└── detectors/        one module per signature, each a pure function:
+                          detect(state, cfg) -> Iterable[Alert]
 ```
 
-Output lives in `/var/log/enodia-sentinel/`:
-- `events.log` — one line per alert (timestamp, severity, signatures, file)
-- `alert-YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS.log` — the full forensic snapshot
+The loop is deliberately the same control flow as the bash prototype, but the
+state lives in real objects:
+
+```
+every sample_interval seconds:
+    state  = SystemState()                 # /proc + ss gathered once, cached
+    alerts = run_all(detectors, state, cfg)
+    fresh  = drop alerts still within cooldown
+    if fresh:
+        snapshot.capture(fresh)            # on a worker thread
+```
+
+Two design choices keep it fast and unobtrusive:
+
+- **One `SystemState` per sweep.** Detectors read shared, cached `/proc`/`ss`
+  data instead of each shelling out — a sweep costs ~200 ms regardless of how
+  many detectors run.
+- **The filesystem-wide SUID scan runs off the loop thread** on a slow cadence,
+  so the multi-second walk never stalls live detection.
+
+Everything in `SystemState` is **injectable**, which is what makes the detectors
+unit-testable without root or a live system (see `tests/`).
 
 ## Quick start
 
@@ -72,103 +82,111 @@ sudo tail -f /var/log/enodia-sentinel/events.log
 sentinel-redteam          # safe, self-cleaning attack simulations
 ```
 
-You'll watch the drills trip `reverse_shell`, `ld_preload_proc`, `deleted_exe`,
-`new_listener`, and `new_suid` in real time, each producing a snapshot with
-response guidance.
+You'll watch the drills trip `reverse_shell`, `ld_preload`, `deleted_exe`,
+`new_listener`, and `new_suid` in real time, each producing a `.log` + `.json`
+snapshot with response guidance.
 
-### Without installing (try it in place)
+Output lives in `/var/log/enodia-sentinel/`:
+- `events.log` — one line per alert
+- `alert-YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS.log` — human-readable forensic snapshot
+- `alert-YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS.json` — same data, structured (SIEM-ready)
+
+### Without installing
 
 ```bash
-sudo ./src/sentinel.sh --baseline   # establish listener/SUID baselines
-sudo ./src/sentinel.sh --check      # run every detector once, print findings
+make test                                   # run the unit suite
+python3 -m enodia_sentinel.cli baseline     # establish baselines
+python3 -m enodia_sentinel.cli check        # run every detector once, print findings
 ```
 
+No pip, no virtualenv, no dependencies — it's stdlib-only and installs as a
+plain package directory plus a launcher wrapper.
+
 ## The red-team harness
 
-`sentinel-redteam` is the demo and the regression test in one. It simulates each
-threat with **safe, clearly-labeled stand-ins** (everything tagged
-`enodia-drill`, auto-cleaned on exit):
-
-- **reverse_shell** — a `bash` whose stdio is a TCP socket to a *local* listener
-  (no traffic leaves the box)
-- **ld_preload** — a process with `LD_PRELOAD=/tmp/...` (an empty file; never
-  actually loaded, and it does **not** touch the system-wide `/etc/ld.so.preload`)
-- **deleted_exe** — a copy of `/bin/sleep` run from `/tmp`, then deleted
-- **new_listener** — an ephemeral `nc -l` on loopback
-- **new_suid** — a `chmod 4755` copy of `/bin/true` in `/tmp`
-- **persistence** — writes to a sandbox `authorized_keys` (only fires if you opt
-  the sandbox into `WATCH_PERSISTENCE`; it refuses to touch your real dotfiles)
+`sentinel-redteam` is the demo and the integration test in one. It simulates
+each threat with **safe, clearly-labeled stand-ins** (everything tagged
+`enodia-drill`, auto-cleaned on exit), using a local Python TCP listener so no
+traffic ever leaves the host:
 
 ```bash
-sentinel-redteam --list                 # list drills
-sentinel-redteam reverse_shell new_suid # run specific ones
-HOLD=30 sentinel-redteam                 # keep artifacts alive 30s
+sentinel-redteam --list                  # list drills
+sentinel-redteam reverse_shell new_suid  # run specific ones
+HOLD=30 sentinel-redteam                  # keep artifacts alive 30s
+```
+
+It never touches your real dotfiles or `/etc/ld.so.preload`; the LD_PRELOAD
+drill only sets the env var on a throwaway process.
+
+## Testing
+
+```bash
+make test          # 25 unit tests, stdlib unittest, no deps
+```
+
+Detectors are pure functions over an injectable `SystemState`, so tests build
+fake processes/sockets and assert on the alerts — no root, no `/proc`, no `ss`:
+
+```python
+proc  = FakeProc(pid=100, comm="bash", _stdio_inode=999)
+sock  = Socket("ESTAB", "127.0.0.1:55", "9.9.9.9:443", 999, "bash", 100)
+state = SystemState(processes=[proc], sockets=[sock])
+assert list(reverse_shell.detect(state, Config()))[0].signature == "reverse_shell"
 ```
 
 ## Configuration
 
-Edit `/etc/enodia-sentinel.conf`, then `sudo systemctl restart
-enodia-sentinel.service`. Key options:
+Edit `/etc/enodia-sentinel.toml`, then `sudo systemctl restart
+enodia-sentinel.service`. Every key is optional. Highlights:
 
-| Variable | Default | Purpose |
+| Key | Default | Purpose |
 |---|---|---|
-| `SAMPLE_INTERVAL` | 4 | seconds between detector sweeps |
-| `COOLDOWN` | 60 | min seconds before re-alerting the same signature |
-| `DET_*` | 1 | per-detector on/off switches |
-| `INTERPRETERS` | bash sh … | process names treated as shells for rsh/egress |
-| `EGRESS_ALLOW_CIDRS` | "" | trusted public ranges that won't trip egress |
-| `LISTENER_ALLOW_PORTS` | "" | ports that never trip `new_listener` |
-| `SUID_HOT_DIRS` | /tmp /dev/shm … | dirs where SUID = CRITICAL |
-| `WATCH_PERSISTENCE` | cron/systemd/… | files watched for tampering |
-| `CAPTURE_EXECVE_BPFTRACE` | 0 | add a bpftrace execve trace to snapshots |
-| `MAX_SNAPSHOTS` / `MAX_SNAPSHOT_AGE_DAYS` | 300 / 60 | retention |
-| `NOTIFY_USERS` | "" | desktop notify-send targets |
-
-## Tuning out false positives
-
-- A long-running daemon legitimately running a deleted exe after a package
-  upgrade won't alert — `deleted_exe` only fires for `/tmp`, `/dev/shm`,
-  `/run`, `/var/tmp`, or `memfd:` paths.
-- Your own admin shells over SSH won't trip `reverse_shell` — they're on a pty.
-- Browsers and chat apps that interpreters open to public IPs *can* trip
-  `suspicious_egress` if you add them to `INTERPRETERS`; the default list is
-  deliberately scripting-focused. Use `EGRESS_ALLOW_CIDRS` for known-good ranges.
+| `sample_interval` | 4 | seconds between sweeps |
+| `cooldown` | 60 | min seconds before re-alerting a signature |
+| `detectors` | all 7 | the enabled detector list |
+| `interpreters` | bash sh … | process names treated as shells |
+| `egress_allow_cidrs` | [] | trusted public ranges (won't trip egress) |
+| `suid_hot_dirs` | /tmp … | dirs where a SUID binary is CRITICAL |
+| `suid_scan_extra_dirs` | /tmp … | writable mounts always scanned (tmpfs-safe) |
+| `capture_execve_bpftrace` | false | add a bpftrace execve trace to snapshots |
+| `notify_users` | [] | desktop notify-send targets |
 
 ## Security model
 
 Sentinel runs as root because it must read every process's `/proc`, the full
 socket table, and root-owned files like `authorized_keys`. The systemd unit
-constrains that power hard: `ProtectSystem=strict` with the log dir as the only
+constrains that power: `ProtectSystem=strict` with the log dir as the only
 writable path, `ProtectHome=read-only`, `NoNewPrivileges`,
-`MemoryDenyWriteExecute`, and a minimal capability set
+`MemoryDenyWriteExecute`, `RestrictNamespaces`, and a minimal capability set
 (`CAP_SYS_PTRACE`, `CAP_DAC_READ_SEARCH`). It only ever **reads** the system and
 **writes** to its own log directory.
 
 ## Roadmap — from polling to eBPF
 
-This v0 is **poll-based**: it sweeps `/proc` and `ss` every few seconds. That's
-robust, dependency-light, and catches anything that lingers — but it can miss
-sub-second processes, and a sweep is observable. The planned evolution:
+This is **poll-based**: it sweeps `/proc` and `ss` every few seconds. Robust,
+dependency-light, and catches anything that lingers — but it can miss sub-second
+processes. The planned evolution:
 
-1. **bpftrace tracepoints (now, optional)** — `CAPTURE_EXECVE_BPFTRACE=1` adds a
-   live `execve` trace to each snapshot. The gentle on-ramp to kernel tracing.
-2. **Event-driven execve/connect detection** — replace the polling gap with
-   `bpftrace` probes on `sys_enter_execve`, `security_bprm_check`, and
-   `tcp_connect`, streamed to the daemon so short-lived reverse shells can't
-   slip between sweeps.
-3. **A libbpf + CO-RE agent (Go or Rust userland)** — the real EDR core: LSM
-   hooks, ring-buffer event streaming, per-process lineage tracking, and
-   tamper-resistance. This is the production-grade rewrite the polling daemon
-   prototypes the detection logic for.
+1. **bpftrace tracepoints (now, optional)** — `capture_execve_bpftrace = true`
+   adds a live `execve` trace to each snapshot. The gentle on-ramp to kernel
+   tracing.
+2. **Event-driven detection** — `bpftrace`/BCC probes on `sys_enter_execve`,
+   `security_bprm_check`, and `tcp_connect`, streamed to the daemon so a
+   short-lived reverse shell can't slip between sweeps.
+3. **A libbpf + CO-RE agent (Go or Rust userland)** — the production EDR core:
+   LSM hooks, ring-buffer event streaming, per-process lineage, tamper
+   resistance.
 
 The polling daemon isn't throwaway — it's the **oracle**: every signature here
 is a test case the eBPF agent must reproduce, and `sentinel-redteam` is the
-shared regression suite for both.
+shared regression suite.
 
 ## Project status
 
-v0.1 — working poll-based detection across 7 signatures, forensic snapshots,
-red-team harness, systemd packaging. Built and tested on Arch Linux.
+v0.2 — Python re-architecture of the bash prototype: 7 detectors, text+JSON
+forensic snapshots, backgrounded SUID scanning, 25-test unit suite, red-team
+harness, hardened systemd unit, Arch packaging. Zero runtime dependencies.
+Built and tested on Arch Linux.
 
 ## License
 
diff --git a/config/enodia-sentinel.toml b/config/enodia-sentinel.toml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9793255
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/enodia-sentinel.toml
@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+# Enodia Sentinel configuration (TOML).
+# Read at startup from /etc/enodia-sentinel.toml (or $ENODIA_CONFIG).
+# Restart after editing:  sudo systemctl restart enodia-sentinel.service
+#
+# Every key is optional; omitted keys keep their built-in default.
+
+# --- timing --------------------------------------------------------------
+sample_interval = 4.0       # seconds between detector sweeps
+cooldown = 60               # min seconds before re-alerting the same signature
+baseline_grace = 10         # seconds after start before new-listener/suid arm
+suid_refresh = 3600         # seconds between SUID baseline refreshes
+suid_scan_interval = 60     # seconds between (backgrounded) SUID filesystem scans
+
+# --- detectors (omit one to disable it) ----------------------------------
+detectors = [
+    "reverse_shell", "ld_preload", "deleted_exe",
+    "new_listener", "new_suid", "persistence", "egress",
+]
+
+# --- tuning --------------------------------------------------------------
+# Process names treated as "interpreters" for reverse-shell / egress checks.
+interpreters = [
+    "bash", "sh", "dash", "zsh", "ksh", "ash", "nc", "ncat", "netcat",
+    "socat", "telnet", "python", "python2", "python3", "perl", "ruby",
+    "php", "lua", "awk",
+]
+
+# Trusted public CIDRs that should NOT trip the egress detector
+# (your VPS, VPN exit, monitoring endpoints, …).
+egress_allow_cidrs = []
+
+# Listener ports that never alert even if they appear after baseline.
+listener_allow_ports = []
+
+# Dirs where any SUID binary is treated as CRITICAL (attacker-writable).
+suid_hot_dirs = ["/tmp", "/dev/shm", "/var/tmp", "/home", "/run/user"]
+
+# Writable dirs always scanned for SUID even if on a separate filesystem
+# (a tmpfs /tmp would otherwise be skipped by the on-device walk).
+suid_scan_extra_dirs = ["/tmp", "/dev/shm", "/var/tmp", "/run/user"]
+
+# Persistence files/dirs watched for modification.
+watch_persistence = [
+    "/etc/cron.d", "/etc/crontab", "/etc/cron.daily", "/etc/cron.hourly",
+    "/etc/cron.weekly", "/var/spool/cron", "/etc/systemd/system",
+    "/etc/ld.so.preload", "/etc/passwd", "/etc/sudoers", "/etc/sudoers.d",
+    "/root/.ssh/authorized_keys", "/root/.bashrc", "/root/.profile",
+]
+
+# --- eBPF on-ramp --------------------------------------------------------
+# Add a 3s bpftrace execve trace to each snapshot (requires the bpftrace pkg).
+capture_execve_bpftrace = false
+
+# --- retention -----------------------------------------------------------
+max_snapshots = 300         # auto-delete oldest beyond this count (0 = no cap)
+max_snapshot_age_days = 60  # auto-delete older than this (0 = no age cap)
+
+# --- notifications -------------------------------------------------------
+notify_users = []           # e.g. ["luna"] — desktop notify-send on alert
+notify_urgency = "critical" # low / normal / critical
diff --git a/enodia_sentinel/__init__.py b/enodia_sentinel/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ec34618
--- /dev/null
+++ b/enodia_sentinel/__init__.py
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+"""Enodia Sentinel — a host intrusion-detection daemon.
+
+A poll-based HIDS that runs a set of detectors over live system state and
+captures a forensic snapshot with incident-response guidance whenever a known
+attack signature appears. The Python re-architecture of the bash v0 prototype.
+"""
+
+__version__ = "0.2.0"
diff --git a/enodia_sentinel/alert.py b/enodia_sentinel/alert.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f3833f6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/enodia_sentinel/alert.py
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+"""Alert and severity types shared by all detectors."""
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import enum
+from dataclasses import dataclass, field
+
+
+class Severity(enum.IntEnum):
+    MEDIUM = 1
+    HIGH = 2
+    CRITICAL = 3
+
+    def __str__(self) -> str:  # pragma: no cover - trivial
+        return self.name
+
+
+@dataclass(frozen=True)
+class Alert:
+    """A single detection.
+
+    `key` is a stable dedup identity (e.g. ``rsh:1234``) used by the daemon's
+    cooldown so the same condition doesn't re-fire every sweep. `pids` lists
+    processes the snapshot should deep-dive.
+    """
+
+    severity: Severity
+    signature: str
+    key: str
+    detail: str
+    pids: tuple[int, ...] = field(default_factory=tuple)
+
+    def to_dict(self) -> dict:
+        return {
+            "severity": str(self.severity),
+            "signature": self.signature,
+            "key": self.key,
+            "detail": self.detail,
+            "pids": list(self.pids),
+        }
diff --git a/enodia_sentinel/cli.py b/enodia_sentinel/cli.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..07e12ac
--- /dev/null
+++ b/enodia_sentinel/cli.py
@@ -0,0 +1,80 @@
+"""Command-line entry point.
+
+  enodia-sentinel run        # daemon loop (default; used by systemd)
+  enodia-sentinel check      # run every detector once, print alerts, exit
+  enodia-sentinel baseline   # (re)build listener/SUID baselines and exit
+"""
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import argparse
+import signal
+import sys
+
+from . import __version__, detectors
+from .config import Config
+from .daemon import Sentinel
+from .system import SystemState, scan_suid_binaries
+
+
+def _cmd_run(cfg: Config) -> int:
+    sentinel = Sentinel(cfg)
+    signal.signal(signal.SIGTERM, sentinel.stop)
+    signal.signal(signal.SIGINT, sentinel.stop)
+    sentinel.run()
+    return 0
+
+
+def _cmd_baseline(cfg: Config) -> int:
+    sentinel = Sentinel(cfg)
+    sentinel.build_baselines()
+    print(f"Baselines written under {cfg.log_dir}")
+    return 0
+
+
+def _cmd_check(cfg: Config) -> int:
+    # One-shot: arm everything immediately, force the SUID scan.
+    sentinel = Sentinel(cfg)
+    sentinel.start_time = 0.0  # past the grace window
+    sentinel.load_baselines()
+    if not sentinel.listener_baseline:
+        sentinel.build_baselines()
+    alerts = sentinel.sweep(force_suid=True)
+    if not alerts:
+        print("No alerts.")
+        return 0
+    for a in sorted(alerts, key=lambda x: -x.severity):
+        print(f"[{a.severity}] {a.signature:<14} {a.detail}")
+    return 0
+
+
+def main(argv: list[str] | None = None) -> int:
+    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(
+        prog="enodia-sentinel",
+        description="Host intrusion-detection daemon.",
+    )
+    parser.add_argument("--version", action="version",
+                        version=f"enodia-sentinel {__version__}")
+    parser.add_argument("-c", "--config", help="path to TOML config")
+    sub = parser.add_subparsers(dest="cmd")
+    sub.add_parser("run", help="run the daemon loop (default)")
+    sub.add_parser("check", help="run detectors once and print alerts")
+    sub.add_parser("baseline", help="rebuild listener/SUID baselines")
+    sub.add_parser("list-detectors", help="list available detectors")
+
+    args = parser.parse_args(argv)
+    cfg = Config.load(args.config)
+
+    if args.cmd == "list-detectors":
+        for det in detectors.REGISTRY:
+            mark = "on " if cfg.enabled(det.name) else "off"
+            print(f"  [{mark}] {det.name}")
+        return 0
+    if args.cmd == "baseline":
+        return _cmd_baseline(cfg)
+    if args.cmd == "check":
+        return _cmd_check(cfg)
+    return _cmd_run(cfg)
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    sys.exit(main())
diff --git a/enodia_sentinel/config.py b/enodia_sentinel/config.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fd3885d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/enodia_sentinel/config.py
@@ -0,0 +1,117 @@
+"""Runtime configuration.
+
+Defaults live here; overrides come from a TOML file (default
+``/etc/enodia-sentinel.toml``, or ``$ENODIA_CONFIG``) and a couple of env vars
+useful for testing without root (``$ENODIA_LOG_DIR``).
+"""
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import os
+import tomllib
+from dataclasses import dataclass, field, fields
+from pathlib import Path
+
+_DEFAULT_INTERPRETERS = (
+    "bash sh dash zsh ksh ash nc ncat netcat socat telnet "
+    "python python2 python3 perl ruby php lua awk"
+).split()
+
+_DEFAULT_WATCH = (
+    "/etc/cron.d", "/etc/crontab", "/etc/cron.daily", "/etc/cron.hourly",
+    "/etc/cron.weekly", "/var/spool/cron", "/etc/systemd/system",
+    "/etc/ld.so.preload", "/etc/passwd", "/etc/sudoers", "/etc/sudoers.d",
+    "/root/.ssh/authorized_keys", "/root/.bashrc", "/root/.profile",
+)
+
+_ALL_DETECTORS = (
+    "reverse_shell", "ld_preload", "deleted_exe",
+    "new_listener", "new_suid", "persistence", "egress",
+)
+
+
+@dataclass
+class Config:
+    # timing
+    sample_interval: float = 4.0
+    cooldown: int = 60
+    baseline_grace: int = 10
+    suid_refresh: int = 3600
+    suid_scan_interval: int = 60
+
+    # detector toggles
+    detectors: frozenset[str] = frozenset(_ALL_DETECTORS)
+
+    # tuning
+    interpreters: frozenset[str] = frozenset(_DEFAULT_INTERPRETERS)
+    egress_allow_cidrs: tuple[str, ...] = ()
+    listener_allow_ports: frozenset[str] = frozenset()
+    suid_hot_dirs: tuple[str, ...] = (
+        "/tmp", "/dev/shm", "/var/tmp", "/home", "/run/user",
+    )
+    # Writable dirs always scanned for SUID even if on a separate filesystem
+    # (tmpfs /tmp etc.). Kept small so the gated scan stays cheap.
+    suid_scan_extra_dirs: tuple[str, ...] = (
+        "/tmp", "/dev/shm", "/var/tmp", "/run/user",
+    )
+    watch_persistence: tuple[str, ...] = _DEFAULT_WATCH
+
+    # eBPF on-ramp
+    capture_execve_bpftrace: bool = False
+
+    # retention
+    max_snapshots: int = 300
+    max_snapshot_age_days: int = 60
+
+    # notifications
+    notify_users: tuple[str, ...] = ()
+    notify_urgency: str = "critical"
+
+    # paths
+    log_dir: Path = Path("/var/log/enodia-sentinel")
+
+    # ---- derived paths ---------------------------------------------------
+    @property
+    def events_log(self) -> Path:
+        return self.log_dir / "events.log"
+
+    @property
+    def listener_baseline(self) -> Path:
+        return self.log_dir / "listener-baseline.json"
+
+    @property
+    def suid_baseline(self) -> Path:
+        return self.log_dir / "suid-baseline.json"
+
+    # ---- loading ---------------------------------------------------------
+    @classmethod
+    def load(cls, path: str | os.PathLike | None = None) -> "Config":
+        cfg = cls()
+
+        env_log = os.environ.get("ENODIA_LOG_DIR")
+        if env_log:
+            cfg.log_dir = Path(env_log)
+
+        cfg_path = Path(path or os.environ.get("ENODIA_CONFIG")
+                        or "/etc/enodia-sentinel.toml")
+        if cfg_path.is_file():
+            cfg._apply_toml(cfg_path)
+        return cfg
+
+    def _apply_toml(self, path: Path) -> None:
+        with open(path, "rb") as fh:
+            data = tomllib.load(fh)
+        known = {f.name for f in fields(self)}
+        for key, value in data.items():
+            if key not in known:
+                continue
+            current = getattr(self, key)
+            if isinstance(current, frozenset):
+                value = frozenset(value)
+            elif isinstance(current, tuple):
+                value = tuple(value)
+            elif isinstance(current, Path):
+                value = Path(value)
+            setattr(self, key, value)
+
+    def enabled(self, detector: str) -> bool:
+        return detector in self.detectors
diff --git a/enodia_sentinel/daemon.py b/enodia_sentinel/daemon.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c9215d4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/enodia_sentinel/daemon.py
@@ -0,0 +1,144 @@
+"""The detection daemon: sweep loop, cooldown dedup, baseline management.
+
+Unlike the bash prototype, all loop state (cooldowns, last-scan timestamps,
+baselines) lives in this object — no subshell-state surprises — and the
+expensive filesystem-wide SUID scan is gated to its own slow cadence.
+"""
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import json
+import threading
+import time
+from pathlib import Path
+
+from . import detectors, snapshot
+from .alert import Alert
+from .config import Config
+from .system import SystemState, scan_suid_binaries
+
+
+class Sentinel:
+    def __init__(self, cfg: Config) -> None:
+        self.cfg = cfg
+        self.start_time = time.time()
+        self.cooldowns: dict[str, float] = {}
+        self.last_persist_scan = self.start_time
+        self.listener_baseline: set[str] = set()
+        self.suid_baseline: set[str] = set()
+        # SUID scan runs off the loop thread; the loop reads the latest result.
+        self._suid_current: list[str] | None = None
+        self._suid_thread: threading.Thread | None = None
+        self._last_suid_scan = 0.0
+        self._last_suid_baseline_refresh = self.start_time
+        self._stop = threading.Event()
+
+    # -- baselines ---------------------------------------------------------
+    def build_baselines(self) -> None:
+        self.listener_baseline = SystemState().listener_keys()
+        self.suid_baseline = set(scan_suid_binaries(
+            extra_dirs=self.cfg.suid_scan_extra_dirs))
+        self.cfg.log_dir.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+        self._save(self.cfg.listener_baseline, sorted(self.listener_baseline))
+        self._save(self.cfg.suid_baseline, sorted(self.suid_baseline))
+
+    def load_baselines(self) -> None:
+        self.listener_baseline = set(self._load(self.cfg.listener_baseline))
+        self.suid_baseline = set(self._load(self.cfg.suid_baseline))
+
+    @staticmethod
+    def _save(path: Path, data: list[str]) -> None:
+        path.write_text(json.dumps(data))
+
+    @staticmethod
+    def _load(path: Path) -> list[str]:
+        try:
+            return json.loads(path.read_text())
+        except (OSError, ValueError):
+            return []
+
+    # -- SUID scan (off the loop thread) -----------------------------------
+    def _maybe_scan_suid(self, now: float) -> None:
+        if self._suid_thread and self._suid_thread.is_alive():
+            return
+        if (now - self._last_suid_scan) < self.cfg.suid_scan_interval:
+            return
+        self._last_suid_scan = now
+        self._suid_thread = threading.Thread(target=self._scan_suid, daemon=True)
+        self._suid_thread.start()
+
+    def _scan_suid(self) -> None:
+        result = scan_suid_binaries(extra_dirs=self.cfg.suid_scan_extra_dirs)
+        self._suid_current = result
+        # Periodically fold the current state into the baseline so legitimately
+        # installed SUID binaries stop alerting after a while.
+        if (time.time() - self._last_suid_baseline_refresh) >= self.cfg.suid_refresh:
+            self.suid_baseline = set(result)
+            self._last_suid_baseline_refresh = time.time()
+            self._save(self.cfg.suid_baseline, sorted(self.suid_baseline))
+
+    # -- one sweep ---------------------------------------------------------
+    def sweep(self, *, force_suid: bool = False) -> list[Alert]:
+        now = time.time()
+        armed = (now - self.start_time) >= self.cfg.baseline_grace
+
+        if force_suid:
+            suid_binaries = scan_suid_binaries(
+                extra_dirs=self.cfg.suid_scan_extra_dirs)
+        else:
+            suid_binaries = self._suid_current  # latest async result (may be None)
+
+        state = SystemState(
+            listener_baseline=self.listener_baseline if armed or force_suid else None,
+            suid_baseline=self.suid_baseline,
+            suid_binaries=suid_binaries if armed or force_suid else None,
+            persist_since=self.last_persist_scan if armed or force_suid else None,
+        )
+        alerts = list(detectors.run_all(state, self.cfg))
+        self.last_persist_scan = now
+        return alerts
+
+    def fresh_alerts(self, alerts: list[Alert], now: float) -> list[Alert]:
+        """Drop alerts whose dedup key is still within cooldown."""
+        out = []
+        for a in alerts:
+            prev = self.cooldowns.get(a.key, 0.0)
+            if (now - prev) >= self.cfg.cooldown:
+                self.cooldowns[a.key] = now
+                out.append(a)
+        return out
+
+    # -- main loop ---------------------------------------------------------
+    def run(self) -> None:
+        self.cfg.log_dir.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+        with open(self.cfg.events_log, "a") as fh:
+            fh.write(f"{time.strftime('%FT%T%z')} enodia-sentinel started\n")
+        self.build_baselines()
+        snapshot.prune(self.cfg)
+        sweeps = 0
+        while not self._stop.is_set():
+            now = time.time()
+            if (now - self.start_time) >= self.cfg.baseline_grace:
+                self._maybe_scan_suid(now)
+            alerts = self.sweep()
+            fresh = self.fresh_alerts(alerts, now)
+            if fresh:
+                # capture off the loop thread so a slow snapshot never stalls
+                # detection; the SystemState used for forensics is rebuilt fresh
+                # inside the thread for accuracy.
+                threading.Thread(
+                    target=self._capture, args=(fresh,), daemon=True
+                ).start()
+            sweeps += 1
+            if sweeps % 20 == 0:
+                snapshot.prune(self.cfg)
+            self._stop.wait(self.cfg.sample_interval)
+
+    def _capture(self, alerts: list[Alert]) -> None:
+        try:
+            snapshot.capture(alerts, SystemState(), self.cfg)
+        except Exception as exc:  # never let a capture crash the daemon
+            with open(self.cfg.events_log, "a") as fh:
+                fh.write(f"{time.strftime('%FT%T%z')} capture error: {exc!r}\n")
+
+    def stop(self, *_a) -> None:
+        self._stop.set()
diff --git a/enodia_sentinel/detectors/__init__.py b/enodia_sentinel/detectors/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9b80499
--- /dev/null
+++ b/enodia_sentinel/detectors/__init__.py
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+"""Detector registry.
+
+Each detector is a ``Detector`` with a ``name`` and a ``detect(state, cfg)``
+callable yielding ``Alert``s. They are pure functions of the injected
+``SystemState`` + ``Config``, which is what makes them unit-testable without
+root or a live system.
+"""
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from collections.abc import Callable, Iterable, Iterator
+from dataclasses import dataclass
+
+from ..alert import Alert
+from ..config import Config
+from ..system import SystemState
+from . import (
+    deleted_exe,
+    egress,
+    ld_preload,
+    new_listener,
+    new_suid,
+    persistence,
+    reverse_shell,
+)
+
+DetectFn = Callable[[SystemState, Config], Iterable[Alert]]
+
+
+@dataclass(frozen=True)
+class Detector:
+    name: str
+    detect: DetectFn
+    needs_baseline: bool = False  # gated until after the grace window
+    expensive: bool = False       # gated to the slow scan cadence
+
+
+# Order here is the order signatures appear in a snapshot.
+REGISTRY: tuple[Detector, ...] = (
+    Detector("reverse_shell", reverse_shell.detect),
+    Detector("ld_preload", ld_preload.detect),
+    Detector("deleted_exe", deleted_exe.detect),
+    Detector("egress", egress.detect),
+    Detector("new_listener", new_listener.detect, needs_baseline=True),
+    Detector("persistence", persistence.detect, needs_baseline=True),
+    Detector("new_suid", new_suid.detect, needs_baseline=True, expensive=True),
+)
+
+
+def run_all(
+    state: SystemState,
+    cfg: Config,
+    *,
+    include: Iterable[str] | None = None,
+) -> Iterator[Alert]:
+    """Run the enabled detectors whose names are in ``include`` (or all)."""
+    wanted = set(include) if include is not None else None
+    for det in REGISTRY:
+        if not cfg.enabled(det.name):
+            continue
+        if wanted is not None and det.name not in wanted:
+            continue
+        yield from det.detect(state, cfg)
diff --git a/enodia_sentinel/detectors/deleted_exe.py b/enodia_sentinel/detectors/deleted_exe.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8bafe94
--- /dev/null
+++ b/enodia_sentinel/detectors/deleted_exe.py
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+"""deleted_exe — a process running from a deleted or memfd-backed binary.
+
+Fileless malware unlinks its dropper (or runs straight from ``memfd``) so there
+is nothing on disk to scan. The kernel still labels the ``/proc/<pid>/exe``
+symlink ``(deleted)`` or ``memfd:``. Normal-path deleted exes (a daemon still
+running after a package upgrade) are ignored — only attacker-controlled/fileless
+locations alert.
+"""
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from collections.abc import Iterator
+
+from ..alert import Alert, Severity
+from ..config import Config
+from ..system import SystemState
+
+_SUSPICIOUS_PREFIXES = ("/tmp/", "/dev/shm/", "/var/tmp/", "/run/")
+
+
+def _is_fileless(exe: str) -> bool:
+    if "memfd:" in exe:
+        return True
+    if "(deleted)" not in exe:
+        return False
+    return exe.startswith(_SUSPICIOUS_PREFIXES)
+
+
+def detect(state: SystemState, cfg: Config) -> Iterator[Alert]:
+    for proc in state.processes:
+        exe = proc.exe
+        if not exe or not _is_fileless(exe):
+            continue
+        yield Alert(
+            severity=Severity.CRITICAL,
+            signature="deleted_exe",
+            key=f"del:{proc.pid}",
+            detail=f"pid={proc.pid} comm={proc.comm} exe=[{exe}]",
+            pids=(proc.pid,),
+        )
diff --git a/enodia_sentinel/detectors/egress.py b/enodia_sentinel/detectors/egress.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..22a7633
--- /dev/null
+++ b/enodia_sentinel/detectors/egress.py
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+"""egress — an interpreter holding an outbound connection to a public IP.
+
+C2 beacons and exfil phone home. A scripting interpreter (bash/python/perl/nc…)
+with an established connection to a globally-routable address — that isn't in
+the operator's trust list — is worth a look.
+"""
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from collections.abc import Iterator
+
+from ..alert import Alert, Severity
+from ..config import Config
+from ..netutil import ip_in_cidrs, is_public_ip, split_host_port
+from ..system import SystemState
+
+
+def detect(state: SystemState, cfg: Config) -> Iterator[Alert]:
+    for s in state.established_sockets():
+        if s.comm not in cfg.interpreters:
+            continue
+        host, port = split_host_port(s.peer)
+        if not is_public_ip(host):
+            continue
+        if ip_in_cidrs(host, cfg.egress_allow_cidrs):
+            continue
+        yield Alert(
+            severity=Severity.HIGH,
+            signature="egress",
+            key=f"egr:{s.pid}:{host}",
+            detail=(
+                f"pid={s.pid} comm={s.comm} -> {host}:{port} "
+                "(interpreter to public IP)"
+            ),
+            pids=(s.pid,) if s.pid else (),
+        )
diff --git a/enodia_sentinel/detectors/ld_preload.py b/enodia_sentinel/detectors/ld_preload.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..31597e3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/enodia_sentinel/detectors/ld_preload.py
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+"""ld_preload — userland rootkit / library-injection indicators.
+
+Two signatures:
+  * ``/etc/ld.so.preload`` non-empty: injects into *every* dynamically-linked
+    process — the classic system-wide rootkit hook.
+  * a process whose ``LD_PRELOAD`` points into a writable/temp dir — per-process
+    function hooking (hiding files/procs, stealing credentials).
+"""
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from collections.abc import Iterator
+from pathlib import Path
+
+from ..alert import Alert, Severity
+from ..config import Config
+from ..system import SystemState
+
+_SUSPICIOUS_PREFIXES = ("/tmp/", "/dev/shm/", "/var/tmp/", "/run/user/", "./")
+
+
+def detect(state: SystemState, cfg: Config) -> Iterator[Alert]:
+    preload = Path("/etc/ld.so.preload")
+    try:
+        contents = preload.read_text().strip() if preload.is_file() else ""
+    except OSError:
+        contents = ""
+    if contents:
+        yield Alert(
+            severity=Severity.CRITICAL,
+            signature="ld_preload",
+            key="ldp:global",
+            detail=f"/etc/ld.so.preload is non-empty: [{contents.replace(chr(10), ' ')}]",
+        )
+
+    for proc in state.processes:
+        pre = proc.environ.get("LD_PRELOAD", "")
+        if not pre:
+            continue
+        if pre.startswith(_SUSPICIOUS_PREFIXES):
+            yield Alert(
+                severity=Severity.CRITICAL,
+                signature="ld_preload",
+                key=f"ldp:{proc.pid}",
+                detail=f"pid={proc.pid} comm={proc.comm} LD_PRELOAD=[{pre}]",
+                pids=(proc.pid,),
+            )
diff --git a/enodia_sentinel/detectors/new_listener.py b/enodia_sentinel/detectors/new_listener.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f8abd30
--- /dev/null
+++ b/enodia_sentinel/detectors/new_listener.py
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+"""new_listener — a listening socket absent from the startup baseline.
+
+Bind shells and backdoors have to listen somewhere. We diff the current set of
+``port/comm`` listeners against the baseline captured at start; anything new
+(and not explicitly allow-listed) alerts.
+"""
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from collections.abc import Iterator
+
+from ..alert import Alert, Severity
+from ..config import Config
+from ..system import SystemState
+
+
+def detect(state: SystemState, cfg: Config) -> Iterator[Alert]:
+    if state.listener_baseline is None:
+        return
+    for s in state.listening_sockets():
+        port = s.local.rpartition(":")[2]
+        comm = s.comm or "?"
+        key = f"{port}/{comm}"
+        if key in state.listener_baseline:
+            continue
+        if port in cfg.listener_allow_ports:
+            continue
+        yield Alert(
+            severity=Severity.HIGH,
+            signature="new_listener",
+            key=f"lis:{key}",
+            detail=f"new listening socket {s.local} by comm={comm}",
+            pids=(s.pid,) if s.pid else (),
+        )
diff --git a/enodia_sentinel/detectors/new_suid.py b/enodia_sentinel/detectors/new_suid.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..277ec72
--- /dev/null
+++ b/enodia_sentinel/detectors/new_suid.py
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+"""new_suid — a SUID/SGID binary that wasn't in the baseline.
+
+A new setuid binary is a privilege-escalation persistence trick; one in a
+world-writable dir (``/tmp``, ``/home`` …) is almost never legitimate, so it is
+escalated to CRITICAL. The filesystem walk is expensive, so the daemon only
+populates ``state.suid_binaries`` on its slow scan cadence — when it's absent
+this detector is a no-op.
+"""
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from collections.abc import Iterator
+
+from ..alert import Alert, Severity
+from ..config import Config
+from ..system import SystemState
+
+
+def detect(state: SystemState, cfg: Config) -> Iterator[Alert]:
+    if state.suid_binaries is None or state.suid_baseline is None:
+        return
+    for path in state.suid_binaries:
+        if path in state.suid_baseline:
+            continue
+        hot = any(
+            path.startswith(d.rstrip("/") + "/") for d in cfg.suid_hot_dirs
+        )
+        yield Alert(
+            severity=Severity.CRITICAL if hot else Severity.HIGH,
+            signature="new_suid",
+            key=f"suid:{path}",
+            detail=(
+                ("SUID/SGID binary in writable dir: " if hot
+                 else "new SUID/SGID binary: ") + path
+            ),
+        )
diff --git a/enodia_sentinel/detectors/persistence.py b/enodia_sentinel/detectors/persistence.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2b29114
--- /dev/null
+++ b/enodia_sentinel/detectors/persistence.py
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+"""persistence — modification of a watched persistence-relevant file.
+
+Persistence has to land somewhere that survives a reboot: cron, systemd units,
+``authorized_keys``, shell rc files. We watch a configurable set and alert on
+anything modified since the previous scan (``state.persist_since``).
+"""
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import os
+from collections.abc import Iterator
+
+from ..alert import Alert, Severity
+from ..config import Config
+from ..system import SystemState
+
+
+def _iter_files(roots) -> Iterator[str]:
+    for root in roots:
+        if os.path.isdir(root):
+            for dirpath, _dirs, files in os.walk(root, onerror=lambda e: None):
+                for f in files:
+                    yield os.path.join(dirpath, f)
+        elif os.path.lexists(root):
+            yield root
+
+
+def detect(state: SystemState, cfg: Config) -> Iterator[Alert]:
+    since = state.persist_since
+    if since is None:
+        return
+    for path in _iter_files(cfg.watch_persistence):
+        try:
+            mtime = os.lstat(path).st_mtime
+        except OSError:
+            continue
+        if mtime > since:
+            yield Alert(
+                severity=Severity.HIGH,
+                signature="persistence",
+                key=f"persist:{path}",
+                detail=f"persistence file modified: {path}",
+            )
diff --git a/enodia_sentinel/detectors/reverse_shell.py b/enodia_sentinel/detectors/reverse_shell.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0b41f0e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/enodia_sentinel/detectors/reverse_shell.py
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+"""reverse_shell — an interpreter with a network socket on its stdio.
+
+A real reverse shell dups a TCP/UDP socket onto fd 0/1/2 (``nc -e /bin/bash``,
+``bash -i >& /dev/tcp/...``). Interactive shells get a pty, and daemons get
+unix sockets/pipes — neither is a network socket, so requiring the stdio socket
+to appear in the network socket table is what keeps false positives near zero.
+"""
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from collections.abc import Iterator
+
+from ..alert import Alert, Severity
+from ..config import Config
+from ..system import SystemState
+
+
+def detect(state: SystemState, cfg: Config) -> Iterator[Alert]:
+    peer_by_inode = state.net_peer_by_inode
+    for proc in state.processes:
+        if proc.comm not in cfg.interpreters:
+            continue
+        inode = proc.stdio_socket_inode()
+        if inode is None:
+            continue
+        peer = peer_by_inode.get(inode)
+        if not peer:  # unix socket / pipe — benign
+            continue
+        yield Alert(
+            severity=Severity.CRITICAL,
+            signature="reverse_shell",
+            key=f"rsh:{proc.pid}",
+            detail=(
+                f"pid={proc.pid} comm={proc.comm} stdio=net-socket "
+                f"peer=[{peer}] cmd=[{proc.cmdline[:90]}]"
+            ),
+            pids=(proc.pid,),
+        )
diff --git a/enodia_sentinel/netutil.py b/enodia_sentinel/netutil.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6849d7c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/enodia_sentinel/netutil.py
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+"""Network address helpers, backed by the stdlib ``ipaddress`` module.
+
+The bash prototype hand-rolled integer/CIDR math; here we lean on ``ipaddress``
+for correct handling of private ranges, link-local, CGNAT, and IPv6.
+"""
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import ipaddress
+from collections.abc import Iterable
+
+
+def parse_addr(addr: str) -> ipaddress._BaseAddress | None:
+    """Parse an address that may carry a ``%iface`` zone or ``[..]`` brackets."""
+    if not addr:
+        return None
+    addr = addr.strip().strip("[]")
+    addr = addr.split("%", 1)[0]  # drop IPv6 zone id
+    try:
+        return ipaddress.ip_address(addr)
+    except ValueError:
+        return None
+
+
+def is_public_ip(addr: str) -> bool:
+    """True if ``addr`` is a globally-routable address.
+
+    Excludes loopback, RFC1918 private, link-local, CGNAT (100.64/10), and
+    other non-global ranges — i.e. a connection to such an address is one that
+    actually leaves the host to the public internet.
+    """
+    ip = parse_addr(addr)
+    if ip is None:
+        return False
+    return ip.is_global
+
+
+def ip_in_cidrs(addr: str, cidrs: Iterable[str]) -> bool:
+    """True if ``addr`` falls inside any CIDR in ``cidrs`` (the trust list)."""
+    ip = parse_addr(addr)
+    if ip is None:
+        return False
+    for cidr in cidrs:
+        cidr = cidr.strip()
+        if not cidr:
+            continue
+        try:
+            net = ipaddress.ip_network(cidr, strict=False)
+        except ValueError:
+            continue
+        if ip.version == net.version and ip in net:
+            return True
+    return False
+
+
+def split_host_port(endpoint: str) -> tuple[str, str]:
+    """Split an ``ss`` endpoint like ``10.0.0.2%eth0:443`` or ``[::1]:22``."""
+    endpoint = endpoint.strip()
+    if endpoint.startswith("["):
+        host, _, port = endpoint.partition("]")
+        return host.lstrip("["), port.lstrip(":")
+    host, _, port = endpoint.rpartition(":")
+    return host, port
diff --git a/enodia_sentinel/snapshot.py b/enodia_sentinel/snapshot.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a58ac91
--- /dev/null
+++ b/enodia_sentinel/snapshot.py
@@ -0,0 +1,247 @@
+"""Forensic snapshot writer.
+
+When detections fire, this captures a timestamped report — both a human-readable
+``.log`` and a structured ``.json`` sidecar — with per-signature incident-
+response guidance, the flagged processes' /proc detail, the process tree,
+sockets, recent file changes, and auth events.
+"""
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import json
+import os
+import subprocess
+import time
+from datetime import datetime
+from pathlib import Path
+
+from .alert import Alert, Severity
+from .config import Config
+from .system import Process, SystemState
+
+RESPONSES: dict[str, str] = {
+    "reverse_shell": (
+        "A shell/interpreter has a network socket wired to its stdin/stdout — "
+        "the canonical reverse-shell signature. RESPONSE: identify the peer IP, "
+        "inspect the parent process (web/db parent = RCE), preserve /proc/<pid> "
+        "before killing if you can, then kill the pid."
+    ),
+    "ld_preload": (
+        "Library-injection detected (ld.so.preload or LD_PRELOAD from a writable "
+        "path) — a userland rootkit / credential-theft hook. RESPONSE: capture "
+        "the named .so and hash it, check package ownership, inspect the process "
+        "tree, and assume host compromise until cleared."
+    ),
+    "deleted_exe": (
+        "A process is executing from a deleted or memfd-backed binary — fileless "
+        "malware that left no file on disk. RESPONSE: dump /proc/<pid>/exe to "
+        "recover the binary BEFORE killing, capture maps and sockets."
+    ),
+    "new_listener": (
+        "A listening socket appeared that wasn't present at baseline — possible "
+        "backdoor/bind shell. RESPONSE: identify the binary, confirm it's an "
+        "expected service, check for matching inbound connections."
+    ),
+    "new_suid": (
+        "A new SUID/SGID binary appeared (critical if in a writable dir) — a "
+        "privilege-escalation persistence trick. RESPONSE: verify package "
+        "ownership; an unowned SUID binary in /tmp or /home is almost never "
+        "legitimate."
+    ),
+    "persistence": (
+        "A persistence-relevant file (cron, systemd unit, authorized_keys, shell "
+        "rc) was modified. RESPONSE: diff against backup/version control, review "
+        "the change, and check auth logs for who made it."
+    ),
+    "egress": (
+        "An interpreter is holding an outbound connection to a public IP — "
+        "possible C2 beacon or exfil. RESPONSE: resolve/geolocate the peer, check "
+        "reputation, inspect the process and its parentage."
+    ),
+}
+
+
+def _run(cmd: list[str], timeout: int = 8) -> str:
+    try:
+        res = subprocess.run(cmd, capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=timeout)
+        return res.stdout
+    except (OSError, subprocess.SubprocessError) as exc:
+        return f"  ({' '.join(cmd)} failed: {exc})\n"
+
+
+def _pid_detail(state: SystemState, pid: int) -> dict:
+    proc = state.process(pid) or Process(pid)
+    fds: dict[str, str] = {}
+    fd_dir = f"/proc/{pid}/fd"
+    try:
+        for name in sorted(os.listdir(fd_dir), key=lambda x: int(x) if x.isdigit() else 0):
+            try:
+                fds[name] = os.readlink(os.path.join(fd_dir, name))
+            except OSError:
+                continue
+    except OSError:
+        pass
+    parent = state.process(proc.ppid)
+    return {
+        "pid": pid,
+        "comm": proc.comm,
+        "exe": proc.exe,
+        "cwd": proc.cwd,
+        "cmdline": proc.cmdline,
+        "ppid": proc.ppid,
+        "ppid_comm": parent.comm if parent else "",
+        "uid": proc.uid,
+        "ld_preload": proc.environ.get("LD_PRELOAD", ""),
+        "fds": dict(list(fds.items())[:40]),
+    }
+
+
+def _format_text(report: dict, extras: dict[str, str]) -> str:
+    L: list[str] = []
+    L.append("=== ENODIA SENTINEL ALERT ===")
+    L.append(f"Time:     {report['time']}")
+    L.append(f"Host:     {report['host']}")
+    L.append(f"Severity: {report['severity']}")
+    L.append("")
+    L.append("## Triggering detections")
+    for a in report["alerts"]:
+        L.append(f"  [{a['severity']}] {a['signature']} — {a['detail']}")
+    L.append("")
+    L.append("## Response guidance")
+    for sig in dict.fromkeys(a["signature"] for a in report["alerts"]):
+        L.append(f"  • {sig}:")
+        L.append(f"    {RESPONSES.get(sig, 'Review the captured context manually.')}")
+    L.append("")
+    L.append("## Flagged process detail")
+    if report["processes"]:
+        for d in report["processes"]:
+            L.append(f"### pid {d['pid']}")
+            L.append(f"  comm:    {d['comm']}")
+            L.append(f"  exe:     {d['exe']}")
+            L.append(f"  cwd:     {d['cwd']}")
+            L.append(f"  cmdline: {d['cmdline']}")
+            L.append(f"  ppid:    {d['ppid']} ({d['ppid_comm']})")
+            L.append(f"  uid:     {d['uid']}")
+            L.append(f"  LD_PRELOAD env: {d['ld_preload']}")
+            L.append("  open fds:")
+            for fd, tgt in d["fds"].items():
+                L.append(f"    {fd} -> {tgt}")
+            L.append("")
+    else:
+        L.append("  (no specific pid in alerts)")
+        L.append("")
+    for title, body in extras.items():
+        L.append(f"## {title}")
+        L.append(body.rstrip("\n"))
+        L.append("")
+    return "\n".join(L) + "\n"
+
+
+def capture(alerts: list[Alert], state: SystemState, cfg: Config) -> Path:
+    """Write text + JSON snapshot, append events.log, and notify. Returns path."""
+    cfg.log_dir.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+    now = datetime.now().astimezone()
+    stamp = now.strftime("%Y%m%d-%H%M%S")
+    base = cfg.log_dir / f"alert-{stamp}"
+
+    severity = max((a.severity for a in alerts), default=Severity.HIGH)
+    pids: list[int] = sorted({p for a in alerts for p in a.pids})
+
+    report = {
+        "time": now.isoformat(),
+        "host": os.uname().nodename,
+        "severity": str(severity),
+        "alerts": [a.to_dict() for a in alerts],
+        "processes": [_pid_detail(state, p) for p in pids],
+    }
+
+    cutoff = int(time.time()) - 3600
+    recent_files = []
+    for root in cfg.watch_persistence:
+        try:
+            if os.path.isfile(root) and os.lstat(root).st_mtime > cutoff:
+                recent_files.append(root)
+        except OSError:
+            pass
+
+    ps_out = _run(["ps", "-eo", "pid,ppid,user,etimes,pcpu,pmem,stat,comm",
+                   "--sort=-pcpu"])
+    extras = {
+        "Process tree (top by CPU)": "\n".join(ps_out.splitlines()[:40]),
+        "Sockets (ss -tanp)": "\n".join(_run(["ss", "-tanp"]).splitlines()[:80]),
+        "/etc/ld.so.preload": (
+            Path("/etc/ld.so.preload").read_text()
+            if Path("/etc/ld.so.preload").is_file()
+            and Path("/etc/ld.so.preload").stat().st_size
+            else "  (empty — good)"
+        ),
+        "Recently modified watched files (1h)": "\n".join(recent_files) or "  (none)",
+        "Loaded kernel modules (head)": "\n".join(_run(["lsmod"]).splitlines()[:15]),
+        "Logins": _run(["who"]) + "--\n" + "\n".join(_run(["last", "-n", "5"]).splitlines()[:5]),
+        "Auth events (authpriv, 10m)": "\n".join(_run(
+            ["journalctl", "--since", "10 minutes ago",
+             "--facility=authpriv", "--no-pager"]).splitlines()[-20:]),
+    }
+    if cfg.capture_execve_bpftrace:
+        extras["bpftrace execve (3s)"] = _run([
+            "bpftrace", "-e",
+            "tracepoint:syscalls:sys_enter_execve { "
+            "printf(\"%d %s %s\\n\", pid, comm, str(args->filename)); } "
+            "interval:s:3 { exit(); }",
+        ], timeout=6)
+
+    text = _format_text(report, extras)
+    base.with_suffix(".log").write_text(text)
+    base.with_suffix(".json").write_text(json.dumps(report, indent=2))
+    try:
+        base.with_suffix(".log").chmod(0o640)
+        base.with_suffix(".json").chmod(0o640)
+    except OSError:
+        pass
+
+    sigs = ", ".join(dict.fromkeys(a.signature for a in alerts))
+    with open(cfg.events_log, "a") as fh:
+        fh.write(f"{now.isoformat()} [{severity}] captured "
+                 f"{base.with_suffix('.log')} — signatures: {sigs}\n")
+
+    _notify(cfg, f"{severity}: {sigs}")
+    return base.with_suffix(".log")
+
+
+def _notify(cfg: Config, body: str) -> None:
+    for user in cfg.notify_users:
+        try:
+            uid = int(subprocess.run(["id", "-u", user], capture_output=True,
+                                     text=True, timeout=3).stdout.strip())
+        except (OSError, subprocess.SubprocessError, ValueError):
+            continue
+        env = dict(os.environ,
+                   DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS=f"unix:path=/run/user/{uid}/bus")
+        try:
+            subprocess.Popen(
+                ["sudo", "-u", user, "notify-send", "-u", cfg.notify_urgency,
+                 "-a", "enodia-sentinel", "⚠ Enodia Sentinel alert", body],
+                env=env)
+        except OSError:
+            pass
+
+
+def prune(cfg: Config) -> None:
+    snaps = sorted(cfg.log_dir.glob("alert-*.log"),
+                   key=lambda p: p.stat().st_mtime, reverse=True)
+    if cfg.max_snapshot_age_days > 0:
+        cutoff = time.time() - cfg.max_snapshot_age_days * 86400
+        for p in list(snaps):
+            if p.stat().st_mtime < cutoff:
+                _remove_pair(p)
+                snaps.remove(p)
+    if cfg.max_snapshots > 0:
+        for p in snaps[cfg.max_snapshots:]:
+            _remove_pair(p)
+
+
+def _remove_pair(log_path: Path) -> None:
+    for p in (log_path, log_path.with_suffix(".json")):
+        try:
+            p.unlink()
+        except OSError:
+            pass
diff --git a/enodia_sentinel/system.py b/enodia_sentinel/system.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..61cf519
--- /dev/null
+++ b/enodia_sentinel/system.py
@@ -0,0 +1,270 @@
+"""A snapshot of live system state, gathered once per detector sweep.
+
+Detectors read from a single ``SystemState`` instance instead of each shelling
+out, which is what keeps a sweep cheap. Everything here is also injectable:
+tests construct a ``SystemState`` with fake processes/sockets and never touch
+the real ``/proc``.
+"""
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import os
+import re
+import stat
+import subprocess
+from dataclasses import dataclass, field
+from functools import cached_property
+from pathlib import Path
+
+_INO_RE = re.compile(r"\bino:(\d+)")
+_USER_RE = re.compile(r'users:\(\("([^"]+)",pid=(\d+),fd=\d+')
+
+
+@dataclass
+class Process:
+    """Lazily-read view of a process via ``/proc/<pid>``."""
+
+    pid: int
+
+    def _read(self, name: str) -> str:
+        try:
+            with open(f"/proc/{self.pid}/{name}", "rb") as fh:
+                return fh.read().decode("utf-8", "replace")
+        except OSError:
+            return ""
+
+    @cached_property
+    def comm(self) -> str:
+        return self._read("comm").strip()
+
+    @cached_property
+    def cmdline(self) -> str:
+        return self._read("cmdline").replace("\0", " ").strip()
+
+    @cached_property
+    def exe(self) -> str:
+        try:
+            return os.readlink(f"/proc/{self.pid}/exe")
+        except OSError:
+            return ""
+
+    @cached_property
+    def cwd(self) -> str:
+        try:
+            return os.readlink(f"/proc/{self.pid}/cwd")
+        except OSError:
+            return ""
+
+    @cached_property
+    def environ(self) -> dict[str, str]:
+        raw = self._read("environ")
+        out: dict[str, str] = {}
+        for item in raw.split("\0"):
+            if "=" in item:
+                k, _, v = item.partition("=")
+                out[k] = v
+        return out
+
+    @cached_property
+    def status(self) -> dict[str, str]:
+        out: dict[str, str] = {}
+        for line in self._read("status").splitlines():
+            k, _, v = line.partition(":")
+            out[k] = v.strip()
+        return out
+
+    @property
+    def ppid(self) -> int:
+        try:
+            return int(self.status.get("PPid", "0"))
+        except ValueError:
+            return 0
+
+    @property
+    def uid(self) -> int:
+        field0 = self.status.get("Uid", "0").split()
+        return int(field0[0]) if field0 else 0
+
+    def stdio_socket_inode(self) -> int | None:
+        """Socket inode if fd 0, 1, or 2 is a socket — the reverse-shell tell."""
+        for fd in (0, 1, 2):
+            try:
+                target = os.readlink(f"/proc/{self.pid}/fd/{fd}")
+            except OSError:
+                continue
+            if target.startswith("socket:["):
+                return int(target[8:-1])
+        return None
+
+
+@dataclass(frozen=True)
+class Socket:
+    state: str
+    local: str
+    peer: str
+    inode: int | None
+    comm: str
+    pid: int | None
+
+
+class SystemState:
+    """One sweep's worth of cached system state.
+
+    Construct empty for the real system; pass ``processes``/``sockets`` to
+    inject fakes in tests.
+    """
+
+    def __init__(
+        self,
+        processes: list[Process] | None = None,
+        sockets: list[Socket] | None = None,
+        *,
+        listener_baseline: set[str] | None = None,
+        suid_baseline: set[str] | None = None,
+        suid_binaries: list[str] | None = None,
+        persist_since: float | None = None,
+    ) -> None:
+        self._injected_procs = processes
+        self._injected_socks = sockets
+        # Context the daemon supplies for baseline-diffing detectors. Left as
+        # None when not applicable (e.g. before the grace window, or in tests),
+        # in which case those detectors yield nothing.
+        self.listener_baseline = listener_baseline
+        self.suid_baseline = suid_baseline
+        self.suid_binaries = suid_binaries
+        self.persist_since = persist_since
+
+    def listener_keys(self) -> set[str]:
+        """Current listening sockets as ``port/comm`` identity keys."""
+        keys = set()
+        for s in self.listening_sockets():
+            _host, port = s.local.rpartition(":")[0], s.local.rpartition(":")[2]
+            keys.add(f"{port}/{s.comm or '?'}")
+        return keys
+
+    # -- processes ---------------------------------------------------------
+    @cached_property
+    def processes(self) -> list[Process]:
+        if self._injected_procs is not None:
+            return self._injected_procs
+        procs = []
+        for name in os.listdir("/proc"):
+            if name.isdigit():
+                procs.append(Process(int(name)))
+        return procs
+
+    @cached_property
+    def by_pid(self) -> dict[int, Process]:
+        return {p.pid: p for p in self.processes}
+
+    def process(self, pid: int) -> Process | None:
+        return self.by_pid.get(pid)
+
+    # -- sockets -----------------------------------------------------------
+    @cached_property
+    def sockets(self) -> list[Socket]:
+        if self._injected_socks is not None:
+            return self._injected_socks
+        out: list[Socket] = []
+        for args in (["-tanep"], ["-uanep"]):
+            out.extend(self._parse_ss(self._run_ss(args)))
+        return out
+
+    @staticmethod
+    def _run_ss(extra: list[str]) -> str:
+        try:
+            res = subprocess.run(
+                ["ss", "-H", *extra],
+                capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=10,
+            )
+            return res.stdout
+        except (OSError, subprocess.SubprocessError):
+            return ""
+
+    @staticmethod
+    def _parse_ss(text: str) -> list[Socket]:
+        socks: list[Socket] = []
+        for line in text.splitlines():
+            parts = line.split()
+            if len(parts) < 5:
+                continue
+            state, _rq, _sq, local, peer = parts[:5]
+            rest = line
+            ino_m = _INO_RE.search(rest)
+            usr_m = _USER_RE.search(rest)
+            socks.append(Socket(
+                state=state,
+                local=local,
+                peer=peer,
+                inode=int(ino_m.group(1)) if ino_m else None,
+                comm=usr_m.group(1) if usr_m else "",
+                pid=int(usr_m.group(2)) if usr_m else None,
+            ))
+        return socks
+
+    @cached_property
+    def net_peer_by_inode(self) -> dict[int, str]:
+        """Map socket inode -> "local -> peer" for every network socket."""
+        out: dict[int, str] = {}
+        for s in self.sockets:
+            if s.inode is not None:
+                out[s.inode] = f"{s.local} -> {s.peer}"
+        return out
+
+    def listening_sockets(self) -> list[Socket]:
+        return [s for s in self.sockets if s.state == "LISTEN"]
+
+    def established_sockets(self) -> list[Socket]:
+        return [s for s in self.sockets if s.state == "ESTAB"]
+
+
+# -- filesystem-wide SUID scan (expensive; the daemon gates how often) ------
+
+_SETID = stat.S_ISUID | stat.S_ISGID
+
+
+def _walk_suid(root: str, *, stay_on_device: bool) -> list[str]:
+    # os.scandir is much faster than os.walk + per-file lstat because DirEntry
+    # caches the stat from the directory read and is_dir() often avoids a stat.
+    try:
+        root_dev = os.stat(root).st_dev
+    except OSError:
+        return []
+    found: list[str] = []
+    stack = [root]
+    while stack:
+        try:
+            it = os.scandir(stack.pop())
+        except OSError:
+            continue
+        with it:
+            for entry in it:
+                try:
+                    if entry.is_dir(follow_symlinks=False):
+                        if stay_on_device:
+                            if entry.stat(follow_symlinks=False).st_dev != root_dev:
+                                continue
+                        stack.append(entry.path)
+                    elif entry.is_file(follow_symlinks=False):
+                        if entry.stat(follow_symlinks=False).st_mode & _SETID:
+                            found.append(entry.path)
+                except OSError:
+                    continue
+    return found
+
+
+def scan_suid_binaries(
+    root: str = "/", extra_dirs: tuple[str, ...] = ()
+) -> list[str]:
+    """Find SUID/SGID regular files.
+
+    Walks ``root`` staying on its device (the ``find -xdev`` equivalent, so it
+    doesn't wander into mounted media), then *also* walks each of ``extra_dirs``
+    regardless of device — those are the small writable mounts (``/tmp``,
+    ``/dev/shm`` …) which are usually a separate tmpfs yet are exactly where a
+    malicious SUID binary gets dropped.
+    """
+    found = set(_walk_suid(root, stay_on_device=True))
+    for d in extra_dirs:
+        if os.path.isdir(d):
+            found.update(_walk_suid(d, stay_on_device=False))
+    return sorted(found)
diff --git a/packaging/PKGBUILD b/packaging/PKGBUILD
index f4521c6..a1d14cf 100644
--- a/packaging/PKGBUILD
+++ b/packaging/PKGBUILD
@@ -1,24 +1,27 @@
 # Maintainer: Enodia
 pkgname=enodia-sentinel
-pkgver=0.1.0
+pkgver=0.2.0
 pkgrel=1
 pkgdesc="Host intrusion-detection daemon — signature-based detection of reverse shells, LD_PRELOAD rootkits, fileless malware, and persistence tampering"
 arch=('any')
 url="https://github.com/Enodia/enodia-sentinel"
 license=('MIT')
-depends=('bash' 'iproute2' 'procps-ng')
+depends=('python>=3.11' 'iproute2' 'procps-ng')
 optdepends=('bpftrace: execve tracing of short-lived processes in snapshots'
             'libnotify: desktop notifications on alert')
-backup=('etc/enodia-sentinel.conf')
+backup=('etc/enodia-sentinel.toml')
 source=()
 sha256sums=()
 
 package() {
     cd "$startdir/.."
-    install -Dm755 src/sentinel.sh      "$pkgdir/usr/bin/sentinel.sh"
+    # Install the stdlib-only package as a directory + launcher under /usr.
+    install -d "$pkgdir/usr/lib/enodia-sentinel"
+    cp -r enodia_sentinel "$pkgdir/usr/lib/enodia-sentinel/"
+    install -Dm755 packaging/enodia-sentinel.wrapper "$pkgdir/usr/bin/enodia-sentinel"
     install -Dm755 src/sentinel-redteam "$pkgdir/usr/bin/sentinel-redteam"
     install -Dm644 systemd/enodia-sentinel.service "$pkgdir/usr/lib/systemd/system/enodia-sentinel.service"
-    install -Dm644 config/enodia-sentinel.conf "$pkgdir/etc/enodia-sentinel.conf"
+    install -Dm644 config/enodia-sentinel.toml "$pkgdir/etc/enodia-sentinel.toml"
     install -Dm644 LICENSE "$pkgdir/usr/share/licenses/$pkgname/LICENSE"
     install -dm750 "$pkgdir/var/log/enodia-sentinel"
 }
diff --git a/packaging/enodia-sentinel.wrapper b/packaging/enodia-sentinel.wrapper
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..58b0e85
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packaging/enodia-sentinel.wrapper
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+# Launcher for the Enodia Sentinel Python package.
+# Computes the install prefix from its own location so it works whether
+# installed under /usr or /usr/local, with no pip/site-packages involvement.
+here=$(dirname "$(readlink -f "$0")")            # .../bin
+prefix=${here%/bin}
+export PYTHONPATH="${prefix}/lib/enodia-sentinel:${PYTHONPATH}"
+exec python3 -B -m enodia_sentinel.cli "$@"
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0248e28
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+[build-system]
+requires = ["setuptools>=61"]
+build-backend = "setuptools.build_meta"
+
+[project]
+name = "enodia-sentinel"
+version = "0.2.0"
+description = "Host intrusion-detection daemon — signature-based detection of reverse shells, LD_PRELOAD rootkits, fileless malware, and persistence tampering"
+readme = "README.md"
+requires-python = ">=3.11"
+license = { text = "MIT" }
+authors = [{ name = "Enodia" }]
+keywords = ["security", "ids", "hids", "detection", "linux", "forensics"]
+# Zero runtime dependencies — stdlib only, by design (a system security
+# daemon should not pull in a dependency tree it has to trust and update).
+dependencies = []
+
+[project.scripts]
+enodia-sentinel = "enodia_sentinel.cli:main"
+
+[project.optional-dependencies]
+dev = ["pytest"]
+
+[tool.setuptools.packages.find]
+include = ["enodia_sentinel*"]
diff --git a/src/sentinel-redteam b/src/sentinel-redteam
index f5a6ce9..a85225a 100755
--- a/src/sentinel-redteam
+++ b/src/sentinel-redteam
@@ -35,14 +35,25 @@ trap cleanup EXIT INT TERM
 
 note() { echo -e "\n=== DRILL: $1 ===\n    $2"; }
 
+# A tiny TCP listener that accepts one connection and holds it open (no EOF, no
+# data) for $HOLD seconds. Python is always present and, unlike some nc/ncat
+# builds, won't half-close and tear the connection down before detection.
+drill_listener() {  # $1 = port
+    python3 -c 'import socket,sys,time
+s=socket.socket(); s.setsockopt(socket.SOL_SOCKET,socket.SO_REUSEADDR,1)
+s.bind(("127.0.0.1",int(sys.argv[1]))); s.listen(1)
+try:
+    c,_=s.accept(); time.sleep(int(sys.argv[2]))
+except Exception: pass' "$1" "$HOLD" >/dev/null 2>&1 &
+    PIDS+=("$!")
+}
+
 drill_reverse_shell() {
     note reverse_shell "a bash with a TCP socket wired to its stdin/stdout (classic reverse shell)"
     # Local listener stands in for the attacker's box. No remote traffic leaves.
-    ( exec -a enodia-drill-listener nc -l 127.0.0.1 "$LISTEN_PORT" >/dev/null 2>&1 ) &
-    PIDS+=("$!")
-    sleep 1   # let the listener bind (single-shot nc; don't probe-connect it)
+    drill_listener "$LISTEN_PORT"
+    sleep 1
     # bash whose fd 0/1/2 are the socket — exactly what `nc -e /bin/bash` produces.
-    # The shell retries the connect itself so it wins the listener's accept slot.
     # It then BLOCKS reading the socket (like a real reverse shell awaiting
     # commands) so the process holding the socket stays a 'bash', not a sleep.
     ( exec -a enodia-drill-rsh bash -c \
@@ -73,9 +84,8 @@ drill_deleted_exe() {
 
 drill_new_listener() {
     note new_listener "a new TCP listening port that wasn't in the baseline"
-    ( exec -a enodia-drill-bind nc -l 127.0.0.1 $((LISTEN_PORT+1)) >/dev/null 2>&1 ) &
-    PIDS+=("$!")
-    echo "    -> opened listener on 127.0.0.1:$((LISTEN_PORT+1)) (pid $!)"
+    drill_listener $((LISTEN_PORT+1))
+    echo "    -> opened listener on 127.0.0.1:$((LISTEN_PORT+1)) (pid ${PIDS[-1]})"
 }
 
 drill_new_suid() {
diff --git a/systemd/enodia-sentinel.service b/systemd/enodia-sentinel.service
index b513389..7943170 100644
--- a/systemd/enodia-sentinel.service
+++ b/systemd/enodia-sentinel.service
@@ -5,24 +5,29 @@ Documentation=https://github.com/Enodia/enodia-sentinel
 
 [Service]
 Type=simple
-ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/sentinel.sh
+# /usr/bin/env resolves the launcher from PATH, so this works whether it was
+# installed under /usr (package) or /usr/local (make install).
+ExecStart=/usr/bin/env enodia-sentinel run
 Restart=on-failure
 RestartSec=5
 
-# Needs to read every process's /proc, sockets, and SUID inventory, so it runs
-# as root — but with the surface area locked down. It only ever READS the system
-# and WRITES to its own log dir.
+# It only ever READS the system and WRITES to its own log dir. Lock the rest
+# of the surface down: needs root to read every /proc and root-owned files,
+# but with a minimal capability set and no ability to modify the system.
 ProtectSystem=strict
 ReadWritePaths=/var/log/enodia-sentinel
 ProtectHome=read-only
 NoNewPrivileges=yes
 ProtectKernelTunables=yes
+ProtectKernelModules=yes
 ProtectControlGroups=yes
 RestrictSUIDSGID=yes
 MemoryDenyWriteExecute=yes
 LockPersonality=yes
+RestrictNamespaces=yes
 # CAP_SYS_PTRACE: read other processes' /proc; CAP_DAC_READ_SEARCH: read
 # root-owned files (authorized_keys, ld.so.preload) regardless of perms.
+CapabilityBoundingSet=CAP_SYS_PTRACE CAP_DAC_READ_SEARCH
 AmbientCapabilities=CAP_SYS_PTRACE CAP_DAC_READ_SEARCH
 
 [Install]
diff --git a/tests/__init__.py b/tests/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e69de29
diff --git a/tests/test_detectors.py b/tests/test_detectors.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a3c035d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_detectors.py
@@ -0,0 +1,152 @@
+"""Detector unit tests using injected fake state — no /proc, no root, no ss."""
+import unittest
+from dataclasses import dataclass, field
+
+from enodia_sentinel.alert import Severity
+from enodia_sentinel.config import Config
+from enodia_sentinel.detectors import (
+    deleted_exe, egress, ld_preload, new_listener, new_suid, reverse_shell,
+)
+from enodia_sentinel.system import Socket, SystemState
+
+
+@dataclass
+class FakeProc:
+    """Duck-typed stand-in for system.Process."""
+    pid: int
+    comm: str = "bash"
+    cmdline: str = ""
+    exe: str = ""
+    environ: dict = field(default_factory=dict)
+    _stdio_inode: int | None = None
+    ppid: int = 1
+    uid: int = 0
+    cwd: str = "/"
+
+    def stdio_socket_inode(self):
+        return self._stdio_inode
+
+
+def cfg() -> Config:
+    return Config()
+
+
+class TestReverseShell(unittest.TestCase):
+    def test_interpreter_with_network_socket_alerts(self):
+        proc = FakeProc(pid=100, comm="bash", _stdio_inode=999,
+                        cmdline="bash -i")
+        sock = Socket("ESTAB", "127.0.0.1:55", "9.9.9.9:443", 999, "bash", 100)
+        state = SystemState(processes=[proc], sockets=[sock])
+        alerts = list(reverse_shell.detect(state, cfg()))
+        self.assertEqual(len(alerts), 1)
+        self.assertEqual(alerts[0].signature, "reverse_shell")
+        self.assertEqual(alerts[0].severity, Severity.CRITICAL)
+        self.assertEqual(alerts[0].pids, (100,))
+
+    def test_non_interpreter_does_not_alert(self):
+        proc = FakeProc(pid=101, comm="nginx", _stdio_inode=999)
+        sock = Socket("ESTAB", "127.0.0.1:55", "9.9.9.9:443", 999, "nginx", 101)
+        state = SystemState(processes=[proc], sockets=[sock])
+        self.assertEqual(list(reverse_shell.detect(state, cfg())), [])
+
+    def test_unix_socket_stdio_does_not_alert(self):
+        # stdio socket inode not present in the network socket table => benign
+        proc = FakeProc(pid=102, comm="bash", _stdio_inode=777)
+        state = SystemState(processes=[proc], sockets=[])
+        self.assertEqual(list(reverse_shell.detect(state, cfg())), [])
+
+
+class TestLdPreload(unittest.TestCase):
+    def test_writable_path_alerts(self):
+        proc = FakeProc(pid=200, comm="sleep",
+                        environ={"LD_PRELOAD": "/tmp/evil.so"})
+        state = SystemState(processes=[proc])
+        alerts = list(ld_preload.detect(state, cfg()))
+        self.assertEqual(len(alerts), 1)
+        self.assertEqual(alerts[0].severity, Severity.CRITICAL)
+
+    def test_system_path_does_not_alert(self):
+        proc = FakeProc(pid=201, environ={"LD_PRELOAD": "/usr/lib/libfoo.so"})
+        state = SystemState(processes=[proc])
+        self.assertEqual(list(ld_preload.detect(state, cfg())), [])
+
+
+class TestDeletedExe(unittest.TestCase):
+    def test_deleted_in_tmp_alerts(self):
+        proc = FakeProc(pid=300, comm="x", exe="/tmp/x (deleted)")
+        state = SystemState(processes=[proc])
+        self.assertEqual(len(list(deleted_exe.detect(state, cfg()))), 1)
+
+    def test_memfd_alerts(self):
+        proc = FakeProc(pid=301, comm="x", exe="/memfd:foo (deleted)")
+        state = SystemState(processes=[proc])
+        self.assertEqual(len(list(deleted_exe.detect(state, cfg()))), 1)
+
+    def test_deleted_system_path_ignored(self):
+        # daemon still running after a package upgrade — not fileless malware
+        proc = FakeProc(pid=302, comm="x", exe="/usr/bin/x (deleted)")
+        state = SystemState(processes=[proc])
+        self.assertEqual(list(deleted_exe.detect(state, cfg())), [])
+
+
+class TestNewSuid(unittest.TestCase):
+    def test_new_in_writable_is_critical(self):
+        state = SystemState(
+            suid_binaries=["/tmp/evil", "/usr/bin/sudo"],
+            suid_baseline={"/usr/bin/sudo"},
+        )
+        alerts = list(new_suid.detect(state, cfg()))
+        self.assertEqual(len(alerts), 1)
+        self.assertEqual(alerts[0].severity, Severity.CRITICAL)
+        self.assertIn("/tmp/evil", alerts[0].detail)
+
+    def test_new_in_system_path_is_high(self):
+        state = SystemState(
+            suid_binaries=["/usr/local/bin/newtool", "/usr/bin/sudo"],
+            suid_baseline={"/usr/bin/sudo"},
+        )
+        alerts = list(new_suid.detect(state, cfg()))
+        self.assertEqual(len(alerts), 1)
+        self.assertEqual(alerts[0].severity, Severity.HIGH)
+
+    def test_no_scan_no_alert(self):
+        state = SystemState(suid_binaries=None, suid_baseline={"/usr/bin/sudo"})
+        self.assertEqual(list(new_suid.detect(state, cfg())), [])
+
+
+class TestEgress(unittest.TestCase):
+    def test_interpreter_to_public_alerts(self):
+        sock = Socket("ESTAB", "10.0.0.2:5000", "8.8.8.8:443", 1, "python3", 400)
+        state = SystemState(sockets=[sock])
+        alerts = list(egress.detect(state, cfg()))
+        self.assertEqual(len(alerts), 1)
+
+    def test_interpreter_to_private_ignored(self):
+        sock = Socket("ESTAB", "10.0.0.2:5000", "10.0.0.9:443", 1, "python3", 401)
+        state = SystemState(sockets=[sock])
+        self.assertEqual(list(egress.detect(state, cfg())), [])
+
+    def test_allowlisted_cidr_ignored(self):
+        c = Config()
+        c.egress_allow_cidrs = ("8.8.8.0/24",)
+        sock = Socket("ESTAB", "10.0.0.2:5000", "8.8.8.8:443", 1, "bash", 402)
+        state = SystemState(sockets=[sock])
+        self.assertEqual(list(egress.detect(state, c)), [])
+
+
+class TestNewListener(unittest.TestCase):
+    def test_new_port_alerts(self):
+        sock = Socket("LISTEN", "0.0.0.0:31337", "0.0.0.0:*", 1, "nc", 500)
+        state = SystemState(sockets=[sock], listener_baseline=set())
+        alerts = list(new_listener.detect(state, cfg()))
+        self.assertEqual(len(alerts), 1)
+        self.assertEqual(alerts[0].severity, Severity.HIGH)
+
+    def test_baseline_port_ignored(self):
+        sock = Socket("LISTEN", "0.0.0.0:22", "0.0.0.0:*", 1, "sshd", 501)
+        state = SystemState(sockets=[sock], listener_baseline={"22/sshd"})
+        self.assertEqual(list(new_listener.detect(state, cfg())), [])
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    unittest.main()
diff --git a/tests/test_netutil.py b/tests/test_netutil.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ecec404
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_netutil.py
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+import unittest
+
+from enodia_sentinel import netutil
+
+
+class TestPublicIP(unittest.TestCase):
+    def test_public(self):
+        self.assertTrue(netutil.is_public_ip("8.8.8.8"))
+        self.assertTrue(netutil.is_public_ip("1.1.1.1"))
+
+    def test_private_and_special(self):
+        for addr in ("10.0.0.5", "192.168.1.1", "172.16.0.1",
+                     "127.0.0.1", "169.254.1.1", "100.64.0.1", "::1"):
+            self.assertFalse(netutil.is_public_ip(addr), addr)
+
+    def test_zone_and_brackets(self):
+        self.assertFalse(netutil.is_public_ip("10.2.0.2%proton0"))
+        self.assertFalse(netutil.is_public_ip("[::1]"))
+
+    def test_garbage(self):
+        self.assertFalse(netutil.is_public_ip("not-an-ip"))
+        self.assertFalse(netutil.is_public_ip(""))
+
+
+class TestCidr(unittest.TestCase):
+    def test_in_and_out(self):
+        cidrs = ["203.0.113.0/24", "10.0.0.0/8"]
+        self.assertTrue(netutil.ip_in_cidrs("203.0.113.55", cidrs))
+        self.assertTrue(netutil.ip_in_cidrs("10.9.9.9", cidrs))
+        self.assertFalse(netutil.ip_in_cidrs("8.8.8.8", cidrs))
+
+    def test_empty_list(self):
+        self.assertFalse(netutil.ip_in_cidrs("8.8.8.8", []))
+
+
+class TestSplitHostPort(unittest.TestCase):
+    def test_ipv4(self):
+        self.assertEqual(netutil.split_host_port("1.2.3.4:443"), ("1.2.3.4", "443"))
+
+    def test_ipv6_bracket(self):
+        self.assertEqual(netutil.split_host_port("[2001:db8::1]:22"),
+                         ("2001:db8::1", "22"))
+
+    def test_zone(self):
+        host, port = netutil.split_host_port("10.2.0.2%proton0:61877")
+        self.assertEqual(host, "10.2.0.2%proton0")
+        self.assertEqual(port, "61877")
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    unittest.main()